Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 155,547. On July 31, 2012, by a margin of 57% to 43%, voters in the county approved a measure to consolidate Bibb County with the county seat, Macon and dissolve the government of the only other incorporated municipality in the county, Payne City; however, Payne City was officially dissolved by Governor Nathan Deal on March 27, 2015. Bibb County is part of the Macon, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Robert Reichert was the first mayor of Macon-Bibb, January 1, 2014.http://www.13wmaz.com/news/elections/results/results.aspx?raceid=100 History Native Americans (mostly Cherokee) had inhabited the area which would become Bibb County for many centuries. They were forcibly relocated to today's Oklahoma in the Indian Removal in the 1830s, during the administration of President Andrew Jackson. The Indian tribes effected refer to this as the "Trail of Tears," since many died during the march west. Bibb is one of the counties of the "Black Belt", which refers to the fertile dark soil in the uplands. The area was developed by white settlers and African American slaves into cotton plantations during the antebellum years. Cotton generated high profits, since was in demand in the textile mills of the northern states as well as in England. By the 1860 census, shortly before the American Civil War, more than a million enslaved African American lived in Georgia, and they constituted a majority of the population in much of the Black Belt. Bibb County was created by act of the State Legislature of Georgia on December 9, 1822, with Macon to be incorporated as a town/city in December 1823; designated the County Seat. It was carved from the earlier territories of the counties of Jones, Monroe, Houston, and Twiggs counties. The County Seat has never been changed since, and no other subsequent county in the state has ever been created ("erected") out of land from Bibb County. The county was named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb, a physician from Elbert County, who was elected to and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and United States Senate from History of Georgia, moved to the new Alabama Territory, before being elected as the first Governor of the new State of Alabama. During the Civil War, an estimated ten percent of the white males in the county lost their lives while serving the Confederate States Army. The war ended slavery in Georgia, but it also left much of the state in ruins. Reconstruction and after During the Reconstuction years immediately after the war, most white voters were disenfranchised, and wartime Georgia unionists and the former slaves controlled the politics. When white Democrats regained control of the state legislature in the 1870s, they passed laws imposing segregation and limiting the rights of African Americans. A new state constitution was written at the turn of the twentieth century, which in effect disenfranchised most black voters as well thousands of poor white males in order to guarantee Democratic control of the state. 20th century to present The first foreign Consulate in the county was established in Macon in 2006, with the Royal Danish Consulate of the Kingdom of Denmark. The first ever Honorary Consul to the Principality of Liechtenstein was also established in Macon in 2007. Government Macon and Bibb County were consolidated in January 2014. Since then, Macon-Bibb has been governed by a mayor, elected at-large (county-wide), along with a nine-member county commission with members elected from single-member districts. Like all other Georgia counties, Bibb has an elected sheriff responsible for maintaining the jail. Bibb's sheriff also manages the county's law enforcement duties, with his deputies acting as the city and county police force. The current (2013) Bibb sheriff is David Davis. On July 31, 2012, voters in Macon (57.8 percent approval) and Bibb County (56.7 percent approval) passed a referendum to merge the governments of the city of Macon and most of unincorporated Bibb County, based on the authorization of House Bill 1171, passed by the Georgia General Assembly earlier in the year; four previous consolidation attempts (in 1933, 1960, 1972, and 1976) had failed.City-County Consolidation Proposals, 1921 - Present , National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-02-11.The Effects on City-County ConsolidationConsolidation pass for Macon and Bibb county in the 2012 vote.CONSOLIDATION OF CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS: ATTEMPTS IN FIVE CITIES . Retrieved 2010-09-14. As the result of consolidation, a portion of Macon that extended into adjacent Jones County was deannexed from Macon. Elections Macon mayor Robert Reichert became the first mayor of the consolidated city on January 1, 2014. He received 49% of the vote in the general election on September 17 over the other five mayoral candidates; however, winning the election outright required the winner to capture a majority of the vote. He subsequently won 63% of the vote in a runoff election against former Macon mayor C. Jack Ellis. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water. The entirety of Bibb County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. Major highways * Interstate 16 * Interstate 75 * Interstate 475 * U.S. Route 23 * U.S. Route 41 * U.S. Route 41 Business (Macon) * U.S. Route 80 * U.S. Route 129 * U.S. Route 129 Alternate (Macon) * State Route 11 * State Route 19 * State Route 22 * State Route 49 * State Route 74 * State Route 87 * State Route 87 Connector * State Route 247 * State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75) * State Route 404 (unsigned designation for I-16) * State Route 408 (unsigned designation for I-475) * State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway) (future) Adjacent counties * Jones County - northeast * Twiggs County - east * Houston County - south * Peach County - south-southwest * Crawford County - southwest * Monroe County - northwest National protected areas * Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (part) * Ocmulgee National Monument Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 153,887 people, 59,667 households, and 39,797 families residing in the county. The population density was 616 people per square mile (238/km²). There were 67,194 housing units at an average density of 269 per square mile (104/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 50.13% White, 47.32% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 59,667 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.30% were married couples living together, 20.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was distributed with 26.60% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 85.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.20 males. The population tables show a dramatic reduction in population growth from 1920 to 1940, less than half the amounts for censuses before and after these dates; during this period, tens of thousands of African Americans left the state for cities in the North and Midwest, as part of the Great Migration to escape the oppression of Jim Crow and lynchings, for better jobs, education and living conditions. Through such migration, they went from being mostly rural people to being more urbanized than the average in the United States, which has become a mostly suburban population in terms of where residences are located. The median income for a household in the county was $34,532, and the median income for a family was $43,479. Males had a median income of $34,263 versus $25,540 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,058. About 15.50% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.20% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 155,547 people, 60,295 households, and 38,714 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 69,662 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 52.1% black or African American, 43.2% white, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 8.8% were English, 7.6% were American, 6.6% were Irish, and 5.2% were German. Of the 60,295 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.8% were non-families, and 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 35.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $38,798 and the median income for a family was $52,158. Males had a median income of $41,219 versus $31,477 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,436. About 16.4% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over. Recreation Lake Tobesofkee, about west of Macon, has three parks. Claystone, Sandy Beach, and Arrowhead Parks, each with a beach, and children's playgrounds. Sandy Beach has lighted tennis courts, a water park with many attractions, and a softball field. Communities * Macon * Lizella * Payne * Walden * Sofkee * Franklinton * Avondale See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Bibb County, Georgia References External links * * Bibb County Historical Marker * Bibb County Documents at the Digital Library of Georgia * Bibb County Jail Information on Inmate-Locator.org Category:Bibb County, Georgia Category:1822 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1822 Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Macon, Georgia Category:Macon metropolitan area, Georgia